Vehicle axle suspension



April 9,l.

2. HoLLs 2,196,556

, VEHICLE AXLE SUSPENSION Filed July 6, 1937 \NVENTOR Zsxsmomn HOLLOs MM*W- Arron/5v:

Patented Apr. 9 194 2 i UNITED; STATES PATENT orries I l 2,196,556 s H VEHICLE AXLEISUSPENSION I Zsigmend vltI olls, Vienna, Austria Application July 6, "1937, Scrial No. 152,258 In Austria July 10, 1936 I vonims. (01. 1 0-73) This invention relates to thesuspensionofdrivthem for thetaking up ofthrustfor ces. When.

ing axle assemblies embodying oscillating halfthe driving wheels are also required to serve as I axles, on road and cross-country vehicles and the swivelled wheels for steering purposes there is like, with or without steering swivels on the outer provided a sleeve which is pivotally connected at. ends of the half-axles, and has for its main the lower end by means of a forked extension to 5 object to provide an improved suspension for the end of the steering swivel journal, and beyond axles of this description "admitting of extremely which the steering pin upwardlyprojects, so that 1 rugged construction, and whereby the wheel" track the steering lever or arm can be disposed clear of the driving :wheels'remains substantially unof the range of oscillating movement of the halfv i I 10 altered at all oscillating positions'of' the halfaxle. 1

axles, and that without sacrifice of ground 'clea'r- A, form of construction embodying the inven ance. Other purposes and advantages of the intion is. shown, by way of example; in the accomvention will become apparent in the course of the panying drawing, in which: v ensuing description. v Fig. 1 is a vertical section of part of a vehicle In order to prevent the alteration of the effectak'enon the linA-B of Fig. 2.

tive wheel track resulting from the. oscillatory Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, partlyin movement of the pivoted half-axles inv known sectionon the line C-D of Fig. 1. l types of construction of oscillating half-axle as- 'Referring'to the drawing, the oscillating halfsemblies including'those in which the oscillating axle housing I" contain the wheel driving shafts v v half-axles are mounted between parallelrockers Y 2 and are pivoted about pins 3 to the longitudinal 20 it has already been proposed to support the articmiddle frame member 4 whi his connected to the 1 ulated shaft that'driv'es each wheel between an side members 5 of the frame of the vehicle by upper and a lower rocker the points ofa'rticu means of transverse members 6. The pin 3 conlation, of which to the 'frame of the vehicle and sists of a length of tube the ends'of which are;

as to the wheel bearing constitute the corners of a supported inrthe relatively widely spaced bearings '25 trapeze of links. The purpose aimed at is 'lprovidedin the longitudinalmiddle framemem achieved in this manner, but at the cost of the be l" 4 ,and which'also passes, throughthe eyes 8 ground clearance of the vehicle. I in the forked inner end'of 'the oscillating half- I also make use of the principleof a trapeze axle casing. This casing has at its outer end construction the oscillating half-axle itself; that eyes I Lin the forked extension of a sleeve I! so a) of links-for the suspension; but in the case of my eyes '9 which are connected by pins it with the is to say the axle housing together with the drivasto be rotatable] relatively thereto. In this 1 ing-shaft and its accessories, which, in consesleeve lZtthere is rotatably mounted theslightly quence of its pivotal mounting independently of; inwardly tilted and upwardly extending steering the differential gearing, admits of theflutilization I swivelfjournal. l3 pertainingto the hollow swivel- 35 of the full half of the Wheel track for the oscillingstub axle M. This sleeve is also provided lating movement, forms the base of the trapeze, nea its uppe end W an y by Which t s while the opposite member of the trapeze/is pivoted, byrneans' of apinglhto'theouter forked formed of a rocker which is shorter than the endof'the rocker or leve'rfll, the inner end of 41') half-axle and which is articulated at its inner which ispiv'oted by means iofza pin I8 to the 4 end to the frame of the vehicle. It is already longitudinal frame member The pins it! and known to connect oscillating halfaxles bymeans it constitute the knuckles and th'epins 3 and I8 of a link to the end of a spring" centrallysecured the points. of articulationof the trapeze of links to the frame of the vehicle above the axle, butin forming the suspension "The connecting link 45 this case the spring can not be consjdered tq b f ormedof' the sleeve l2 and. pivot pin l3 consti- 45 a shorter side of thetrapeze of links than that tutes the one arm of a bell-cr'ank lever the other formed of the half-axle, and consequently'the dc arm of which-xconsists of the stub axle l4. When sired result, namely the preventing or widening l he Wheels required 170 's e r n of the wheel track (.straddling of the wheels). purposes the stub axle I4 constitutes; withthe 0 when the half-axles oscillate upwards, is not. lever arm interconnecting the pins Ill and: [6, a 50.

achieved. I rigidbell-crank lever. The longitudinal frame The invention relates further to particular feam b 5 rest With the Springs 111 the p tures of the construction of the oscillating halfportingsurfaces or platforms 29 on the housings axles themselves which are bifurcated both at of the oscillating half-axles. Thedrive,is transthe inner end and at the outer end to strengthen mitted to the wheels by the shafts 2| which ro- 5i tate'the wheel driving shafts 2 through the intermediary of bevel gears 22, 23, while the shaft 2 transmits its drive through a universal joint 24 to a trunnion 26 supported in the hollow stub axle l4 and connected to the wheel 25. At the end of the steering swivel journal I3 there is sej cured, above the rocker forming the upper member of the trapeze of links, a steering arm 21 which is coupled in a known manner to the steering gear not shownin the drawing, and which, in consequence of its elevated position' is protected from damage.

Although the described example of the embodiment of the invention has been to driving Wheels swivelled to serve as steeringwheels, the

suspension forming the subject proper of this invention is, as will readily be understood, equally applicable to non-swivelled driving wheels, and

as restricted to the above example.

I claim: 1.'In a wheeled motor vehicle the combination to non-driven wheels, and is not to be considered with an undercarriage, of independent suspension assemblies, one for each of thewheels, each -'said assem ly consisting of a half -.axle housing articulated tossaid undercarriage adjacent the dercarriage above said housing and extending outwards, a floating link end member articulated to the outer end of said housing and of said rocker member, transmission gearing in said housing,

and an axle shaft connecting said gearing with said stub axle, said assembly thus constitutinga trapeze of link members of which the lowermost is. said half-axle housing itself, and said housing being articulated to saidundercarriage by a pivot.

joint whereby said housing is capable of taking up all stresses imposed upon the same during the operation of the vehicle.

2. A wheel suspension assembly as claimed in claim lin which said stub axle is 'swivellably mounted to make said track wheel a steering wheel, and in which saidend member is of hollow construction and accommodates a steering head journal connected at the lower end to said stub axle, the outer end .of said housing being provided with a jaw to allow of swivelling movement of said stub axle, and further comprising a universal joint between the outer end. of said propeller shaft and said stub axle.

3. A wheel suspension assembly .as claimed in claim 1 in which said stub axle is ,swivellably mounted for steering purposes, and in which said end member is" of, hollow construction extending upwards beyond the level of the top of said assembly, and'further comprising a steering head journal accommodated within said hollow end member and; connected at the lower end to said Y stub axle, and steering gear connected to the upper .end of said journal and disposed clear of said suspension assembly, the outer end of said houson a vehicle frame, comprising a member having a bearing for the Wheel, an axle casing adapted to be pivoted at one end adjacent the center of the ,vehicle frame and having a driving half-axle shaft for the wheel, a transverse arm adapted to be pivoted on the frame at one end above said axle casing at a point nearer the wheel than said pivotal point of the axle casing, a coupling means for the half-axle shaft to the wheel, and means for pivotally connecting the other ends of said axle casing and transverse arm to the member having the bearing for the wheel, in such manner that the wheel is suspended relatively to the frame and can be driven through the coupling means from the axle-shaft, the'axle'casing having a forked inner end forming two widely spaced bearings about which said axle casing is pivoted, the outer end of the axle casing also being forked to form two bearings by which it is pivoted to the connecting means. which are also pivotally connected to the upper transverse arm, the connecting means consisting of a sleeve and 'a swivel journal connected to the bearing member, and the lower end of said sleeve being forked to form two bearings coacting with the bearings at the outer forked end of the axle casing.

6. In a wheeled motor vehicle the combination with an under-carriage, of independent suspension assemblies, one for each wheel, each assembly comprising a housing articulated at one end to the under-carriage adjacent the longitudinal mid-plane thereof for pivotal movement in a vertical plane with respect to said under-carriage while being inherently rigid in every other direction, an axle shaft mounted in said housing, a stub axle mounted as a swivel at the other end of the housing and connected to the wheel and the axle shaft so that the wheel may be steered, a rocker member shorter than said housing articulated-to said under-carriage above said housing and extending outward, a floating link end member articulated to the otherend of the housing and to the rocker member, said assembly constituting a trapezium of link members and said housing being articulated to the under-carriage by a pivot joint whereby the housing is capable of taking up all stresses imposed upon the same during the operation of the vehicle, a steering head journal connected at the lower end to the stub'axle and pivoted in the end member, the said other end of the housing being provided with a jaw to permit swivelling movement of the stub axle, and a universal joint between the stub axle and the axle shaft.

7. An assembly according to claim 6, in which thehousi-ng is provided with a jaw to permit swivelling action.

ZSIGMOND HoLLos. 

